I Protect My Love
by VampSaxAngel
Summary: ...it was like a chain that held you, forced the weight of gravity down on your shoulders, all revolving around one single person that had turned your world upside down, making it teeter on the edge of caring and not caring, what used to be important pale in comparison, and I despised this affliction." PaulxOC Imprint story of love, abuse, anger, angst, and protection. R&R. VSAxox
1. Chapter 1

**O_O I have no solitary idea how this is going to go, but I figured why not. I've literally had scenes of this rolling through my head for about two months now, and it finally kicked me into gear. Let's see where this goes...**

**PaulxOC- Imprint Story about love, angst, romance, beauty, and loss. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Paul's POV**

I tackled Jared into the ground with a low growl and a laugh, the football flying from his hand and rolling through the sand. He pushed me off roughly, shaking his head as he stood. He held a hand out, and I took it, standing. I bent down, popping the ball up into my grip as we walked back to the starting area, getting down, low to the sand. I was face to face with Sam, smirking at him.

"You seriously think you're gonna be beat me this time, Sam?" I mocked, lifting an eyebrow.

He smirked, glancing down at the ball. "I could beat you with my eyes closed."

At that time, the countdown was completed, and I pushed the ball through my legs and back to Seth who ran with it. I went long, lifting my hand to catch the ball as it came towards me. Sam managed to intercept the pass at the last second, taking off towards the rock that we had decided was his team's touchdown marker. I ran after him, the teams following as sand flew out behind us. A great cloud of dust bellowed up, moving with the wind. The sand overtook me for a moment, and I lost Sam at the last second, growling as I stopped running. When the area cleared, Sam was leaning against the rock, tossing the football and catching it again. He walked towards us, passing the ball to me. It hit me in the stomach, dropping into my open palm. Sam smiled arrogantly.

"28- 20," he stated, walking past me to the circle of women nearby, the imprintees, as I called them. "We win."

I shook my head, tossing the football at the rock. It busted on contact as I followed the others, walking into that forbidden circle. I willingly aspired to stay friends with these guys, forcing myself through the disgusting times such as right now in which the guys and their imprints shared a kiss, some words of romance. In turn, I often made the notion of vomiting, only to get shoved by Jared as he held Kim in his arms, chuckling at my attitude.

After a few moments of horrible references to things between the couples that I definitely did not want to think about, I stood, jogging down the beach a little ways, hopping up onto a rock and overlooking the horizon. It was clouded with that common dark gray sheen, the waves rolling with steam from the temperature difference. We were going into winter, and the water had not yet cooled completely. Of course, I was unaffected by the change. To me, everything was just hot or warm, and I could not truly tell the difference from my body and the outside temperature. My body rebelled against it at 108 degrees of pure heat, and believe me, that's hard to combat, no matter how cold it gets. Given that fact, there were few days in which one of the guys was not invariably snuggled up to their imprint, wholly focused on there well being. I mean, good Lord, can they not stand a little ice? It never killed anybody. Well, maybe that's not entirely true, but one can understand. As such, I was completely reluctant of the whole imprinting thing.

I mean, it was like a chain that held you, forced the weight of gravity down on your shoulders, all revolving around one single person that had turned your world upside down, making it teeter on the edge of caring and not caring, what used to be important pale in comparison, and I despised this affliction. I could care less about the whole ordeal. I would rather gouge my eyes out than be occupied all the time by one single person. I glanced back at the couples, disgusted at one part of our nature.

I scowled at them, shaking my head just as a scream broke through my thoughts. I saw the other whip there heads around, backs rod straight as we all looked around. I stood, jumping down to the sand as my body went on high alert.

"No!" a voice screamed, and I traced it, slowly walking towards the treeline.

As I began walking, a girl ran out, terror in her eyes as she glanced back behind her, her breathing bouncing through the trees, coming back to me. I went to run towards her just as an older, sketchy looking man ran out of the trees. The girl gasped outright, picking up her speed until she reached the shore. She glanced at the water, her head revolving as she looked for a way to escape. She turned, coming face to face with the man as we all rushed over to them. The man managed to grab the girl, slapping her hard across the face. She cried out, dropping to the sand.

I roared as he planted a harsh kick to her ribs, and she rolled over, gripping her side. He reached down, fingering her hair into his fist, pulling her to her feet. She screamed, pleading with him.

"Please, let me go! Ah! Let me go!" she begged as we surrounded them.

The man turned around as we stood there, all of us fuming, our eyes dark with anger. He looked us over with wide eyes, still holding the girl. It was then that I noticed the blood that dripped from her nose, the red sheen that fell over her teeth as she gasped, her full bottom lip cut along the side. She looked around us with pain filtering through her eyes, grimacing every few seconds. The man stood straight, squaring his shoulders at us as if he stood a chance.

"Can I help you gentleman with something?' he asked. Did he seriously think he had the audacity to do so?

Jared brought a hand forward, slapping it down onto the man's shoulder. The man, groaned as the bone of his shoulder protested loudly, cracking back at us. The girl gasped, watching the scene, her chest convulsing with heavy breaths.

"Well, you see, we were raised as gentlemen, as you said, and gentlemen don't hurt ladies. So, I think you'd better let the lady go before we force you to let her go," he growled, getting close in the man's face, frightening him with the proximity.

"Please," the girl gasped in a quiet voice like pure silk. "Please, let me go." I glanced down at her, noticing the change immediately. A sound of defeat echoed through her voice. She sounded tired. On that note, I could only assume that this had happened before, and I hated the man more than I could say. I did not even need to know him to know what kind of low life he was. Disgraceful.

The man's head whipped around to her, their eyes meeting. His hand clenched, and she released her side to place her hands on her head. I stepped up at this point, gripping his wrist in my hand. 

"I strongly suggest you let her go," I snarled quietly, menacingly. "You never know what can happen if you don't follow certain orders."

He released her, pushing the girl into my chest roughly. I caught her, mindful of her injuries. "Fine, you want her, have the bitch. I'll be better off without her anyway." He looked down at the girl with hatred and disgust, spitting in her direction. She shifted away from the stuff, burrowing even closer to me. "You are a complete disgrace to your mother."

He began to leave pushing his way through our shoulder to shoulder circle. "Yeah, well you're a disgrace to the human race," she whispered, gasping lightly.

We watched him leave, immediately turning to the girl as he left our sight. Sam stepped forward as she clung to me briefly before pulling away slightly, a hand holding her side. She was still close enough for me to feel the heat of her body, smell the scent of her blueberry hair. She looked up at him, a light shining within her eyes.

"Thank you," she breathed. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate what all of you have done for me." She looked around our circle, glancing back at me for a short second, but it was in that second that my whole world shifted and gravity left my body, transforming into the build of this one girl. My jaw dropped, but I quickly composed myself, looking over her head and out to the ocean to keep myself distracted.

"It was our pleasure," Sam replied, glancing my way shortly. I shook my head at him, making him ignore my change in demeanor. "Do you have anywhere else to go?"

She paused before shaking her head, tilting it down to the ground in dismay. I longed to reach out, brush my fingers through her hair and tell her that everything would be fine, but I did not want this to begin with, and I was not about to give in to the feelings that were suddenly coursing through me.

"No, I don't." A few tears slipped down her rosy cheeks, her face still beautiful even with the sheen of blood under her nose and on her lusciously kissable lips. I squeezed my eyes. God, help me! "I'm homeless now." She gasped, crying lightly.

At that point, I had to say something, ignoring the love but speaking with kindness. I could only hope that Sam agreed with the plan that was forming within my head. I laid a light hand on her lower back, feeling her tense before relaxing beneath the heat of my hand. "Hey, don't cry," I breathed lightly, moving so I was speaking into her hear but still where the others could hear me. "You can stay with a friend of mine, if Sam doesn't mind." I glanced up at him, gaining a nod from him. "She'll love to have your company." I looked past the guys to Emily who was standing around the area the girls occupied earlier. They watched us in shock and interest, trying to figure out what was happening.

The girl looked up at me with shockingly deep blue eyes, her black hair rolling down her back in tousled waves. I got lost in them, her voice crawling across my now sensitive nerves like poisonous spiders. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother."

My eyes widened minutely at her selfless nature, especially in her situation. Any normal person would accept gladly, go and get cleaned up immediately, yet, even after the events that had occurred, she still argued. Pulling from my stupor, I nodded as Sam called Emily over.

"She won't mind at all." I glanced over her head as Emily came into the circle. "Ah, here she is."

The girl turned around, seeing Emily. She gave no inclination of surprise to the scars that littered her face, for which I was grateful. Emily smiled her famous crooked smile, her eyes sparkling as they always did as she looked down on the girl. I waved my hand out to Emily as I introduced her. The girl stepped forward, shaking Emily's hand gently.

"Hello," she murmured quietly, giving a small smile.

Emily stepped forward, wrapping her arm around the girl's waist softly. "Come on. We can get you cleaned up, and then I will find you a place to rest."

"Thank you," she breathed.

Emily smiled, laughing lightly as she led the girl out of our circle, the other girls from the circle following behind them. "Don't worry about it."

The girl glanced back at us, she and the rest disappearing to Sam's truck, hopping in as Emily drove off, going to her house. I watched them go, feeling this pull rise within me. I looked down as I clenched a fist, ignoring the incessant drive that made me long to be next to the girl. I did not even know her name! I should not be feeling like this. I sighed roughly, shaking my head as the guy's crowded around me. Same spoke first, the words that left his mouth making me want to punch him straight across the face.

"You've imprinted," he stated knowingly, the others immediately coming at me with their little comments.

"Ah, no way!" Jared yelled.

Jacob chuckled. He knew my hatred for this whole thing.

"Well, you're already protecting her, what's difference is the rest of your life gonna make?" Quil questioned rhetorically, elbowing me in the ribs.

I roared, leaning my head back. They quieted, low laughter echoing back at me. "You know how I feel about this," I growled. "There's gotta be a way out of it!" My eyes flashed to Sam's hopefully, praying he could tell me something, anything to make this stop. He exhaled, shaking his head before turning and beginning the run to the treeline. We followed, my holding back as we transformed within the trees, their thoughts bombarding me all the way to the house.

_I think it's pretty cool. I mean, imprinting isn't much different from falling in love. Not to mention, what if she loves him back? _That came from Seth, ever the hopeful one.

_Big deal. I've imprinted, and I'm not complaining about it. Hopefully Paul will finally grow a pair become a man with a woman. I know I have since my imprint... _Jared went on to a more graphic thought, and the others groaned loudly, begging him to stop where the thought was trailing off to. He soon stopped, bowing his head. I was grateful for the distraction, but then I was not. For, as soon as thought was no longer occupying my mind, a picture of the girl was.

In that moment, I began to wonder where on earth she had come from, and what her whole story was behind the abuse and no telling what else that bastard had done to her? I felt such hatred and anger soar through me that I bit my cheek to keep from acting on it. I was already hooked so deep, and I had to admit that I absolutely loved having her face appear in my head. Her rosy her cheeks, bloodstained yet still kissable lips, her adorable button nose, and her endlessly stunning eyes. She was overwhelmingly attractive, and while the blood on her face did not stall her beauty, I wondered what she would look like without it, without the stains of red that covered her lips, the cut that rested there not at all deterring my want to to kiss her.

I shook my head, shaking her picture away.

_Aw, _Quil entered, _he's already going to soft. _

The laughter echoed through my head at different volumes, the only one nonexistent being Sam's. I growled at them all, speeding up. I made it to Emily's house in no time, transforming right at the treeline. I could hear the girl's inside, all talking about today's events and what they were going to do about the girl. I tried to listen for a name, but one was never given. I jogged up the steps, going through the sliding door and into the kitchen. The girl's kept talking as the others filed, each one going to their perspective woman. The sound of rushing water echoed through the house, alerting me that the girl was in the shower. I began to get images, a petite body, luscious curves... I blinked, grabbing a huge muffin off the counter and stuffing my face to distract myself. I leaned against the counter, overlooking the scene before me as I finished my food and the shower cut off. I made to move through the doorway into the living room but Emily stopped me.

"Oh, Paul?" she called, and I turned back to her, lifting my eyebrows. "She wanted to speak with you. Go to the back bedroom, that's where she's staying."

I nodded, moving through the living room. I reached the hallway and practically scuffed my feet across the carpet to the bedroom door. I stood outside for a few seconds, listening to the rustle of clothing. I raised my hand, patting my knuckles along the wood of the door. A second later, it opened to reveal the girl in all her glory. She wore much too long jeans that were rolled at her ankles and a band shirt with a stretched neck that revealed the soft looking skin of her right shoulder. Her hair framed her face, reaching her waist as it fell perfectly straight due to the water. Her face was clean except for the cut on her lip, and the light bruise on her cheek. To be honest, if it weren't for my perfect vision, I probably would not have even noticed the slight discoloration there, but I could, and that almost made my anger rise up again, but I would not allow myself to lose it around her.

She smiled up at me, opening the door wider so I could slide through. The room was bland, a queen bed in the corner with a dresser and another door to the closet and a small tv on the wall. I turned back to her, and she waved a hand to the bed, offering me a seat. I took it, watching her as she sat beside me.

"I'm sorry if you think this is weird, my calling you in here, but I just wanted to say thank you for what you did today." She looked up at me. "You saved me, and I really appreciate what you did."

I shook my head. "It was nothing. Besides, it wasn't just me." I was trying to get her attention off of me before I just leaned down and kissed her, and I sure wanted to. She smiled in return, my eyes flashing to her lips before I could stop them.

"I know," she breathed. "But you were the one that really made him let me go. I needed that. I needed it long ago, I just never knew how to make it happen, and I feared running away."

I glanced her way to see that she had dropped her head, eyes watching her hands as they twisted together in her lap. I reached over without thinking, resting my hand on hers. Her eyes caught mine, and I was caught in her gaze, once again glancing down at her lips.

"Will you tell me what happened? When it started?" I wondered quietly, eyes moving back to hers.

Her lips parted, catching my attention again as she paused. "I will someday," she whispered, her warm breath hitting right above where my heart rested. It bounced in response, pumping harshly for a second, completely entranced with the new sensations that were stirring within me.

I released her hands as I stood, her arms raising in response as if they never wanted to be let go. I began to move towards the door, knowing that I needed to get away or else I would end up pulling into this ordeal much earlier than I was prepared to. I made my way to the door, stopping when I felt her presence come up behind me. I turned, looking down to find her almost right at my back. She smiled up at me, coming closer. Her chest and stomach brushed my arm and side as she leaned up, her hand resting on the opposite side of my neck to pull my face down to hers. I leaned down, silently begging for her to slip, her lips touching mine. They landed on my cheek, her soft lips feeling like pure satin on my skin. She pulled away, dropping her hands as she froze beside me, her eyes widened with shock as mine were. There was electricity between us, our hearts beating at rushing tempos. The sound of her heart enveloped me in its sound, the beauty of it displaying life and wonder.

Without waiting for her reaction, I escaped the room. I was so close to grabbing her and planting a good one on her, but I did not know if she would appreciate that, and I was not about to wait around to make the mistake that would let me find out. I left, my thoughts screaming at me to turn around. Only, I knew that I could not. It would not help at all.

I did decide, however, during my escape, that I would become her friend. After that, I was more than eager to make the journey into, hopefully, my loving her and her loving me back.

I sighed roughly. I was turning soft, and for some reason, that did not bother me one bit.

**Okaaaaayyy. So, I have no idea where this is gonna go or how this is gonna work or if I'm even going to continue it. -shrugs-**

**Want this to turn into a whole story? Leave a review letting me know!**

**Hope you liked it! R&R!**

**~Much Love,**

**Zoe**


	2. What's In a Name?

**Getting some pretty awesome feedback for this story, so I've decided to continue it while working on other stuff. Anyway, I don't own anything, but the main girl character, she's mine. Hope you enjoy!**

***I know that her name has not been revealed yet, but we're getting there ;)**

**Be sure to drop me a review and let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Paul's POV**

_I was in a forest. The leaves around me were littered with water droplets, several falling from their green haven to the damp ground around me, thunder rumbling off in the distance. I curled my fingers, hearing the sickening squish of the crumbled leaves beneath me as I lay there, the dirt digging in under my nails.I lifted up, resting back onto my elbows as my head beat with pain, my vision spiraling out of control momentarily. I lifted a hand to my head, holding my temple as I rose to my feet, surely covering that side of my face with a light coat of mud. I looked about me as I stumbled on my feet, working to find some semblance of control over my body. _

_I traced the treeline, moving forward as I finally walked with a somewhat even manner. As I past through the trees, the scene around me changed, and I soon found myself in a home, the furniture coated with dust, the walls lavished with faded color. I walked through the doorway before me with hesitation, passing into a living room area. The television sparked and crackled with snow, the wretched man that had hurt my imprint sitting in the only clean furniture, his snoring bouncing off the walls irritatingly. My lips curled back over my teeth as I growled at him, but the sound was so very unlike my own. The sound was low, dangerous, feminine. I looked down at myself, finding myself as a girl. My hands were small and dainty, my body gloriously petite. In my form of distraction, I did not hear the man rise and come towards me until it was too late. _

_I glanced up in horror just as his hand connected with my face. My head cocked to the side, my hand lifting to my cheek as it stung horrifically. I looked on in fear as he gripped my shoulders and threw my fragile body into the wall next to me. My shoulder connected with it harshly, the bone cracking as it did so, specks of drywall falling around my feet. I cowered into the corner, trying to shield my body as he stalked towards me, his foot connected with my side. I released a yelp, sounds following as he continued his onslaught on my body. I fell down in the corner, curling over my knees to try and protect myself. The pain did not stop until the bastard leaned over me, gripping my hair and pulling until I rose to my feet. I gripped his wrist with my hand, scowling viciously as I released something not even remotely similar to a snarl but still dangerous. He scowled down at me in disgust, turning and pulling my into the kitchen. _

_"What have I told you about waking me up?!" he yelled at me, throwing me against the table. _

_The edge of it cocked into my hip, and I groaned lowly, rubbing a hand along the sensitive skin. As I did so, the man began to come towards me, a household hammer in one hand with a long, straight nail in the other. My eyes widened as I took steps to create distance between us, tripping over the chairs as I did so. With every step, he matched my movements, taking even bigger steps of his own. We revolved around the table as he looked at me with a disgustingly sadistic and smug glare. I managed to make it back around, turning to make a run out into the living, hopefully making it to the door. _

_I did not make it far. _

_He strung his fingers into my hair again, dragging me over my unsteady feet to the table. I was thrown across it, my legs flailing in order to try and get a good kick to the man. I was not so lucky, and I soon found a the nail gouged into my right palm. I cried out as warm blood cells ran down between my fingers. I glanced at my hand, seeing my skin bunched up around the piece of metal, and I screamed raucously as he brought the hammer down onto it, piercing all the way through my hand. I gasped in a hyperventilating motion as he released me, standing over me with twisted eyes and a prominent smirk. _

_"Maybe that will teach you to leave me alone when I'm resting," he murmured, dropping the hammer on the floor. "You get the hammer, you free yourself. You don't, bleed." _

_He left me that way, pain flaring at every moment, my palm stinging continuously with rivulets of blood running over my skin. I closed my eyes, laying my head back against the table. What the hell did I do to deserve this? The growl, or whatever it was, was nowhere near loud enough to wake him up. Sighing, the sound transforming into a moan as my hand flinched. I laid there, lost in my thoughts as I thought of a way to get out of this. Reaching over myself, I gripped the nail, pulling lightly. Immediately, my skin protested, and I gasped loudly, moving my hand away. _

_Laying back down, clenching my teeth to ignore the pain, I moved my leg around, feeling around along the floor. My heel tapped the hammer, and I froze, memorizing how close I was to it. I used my other foot to slip my shoe off, lifting my foot until I could reach it with my hand to pull my sock off. My skin pulled lightly, but I ignored it, my lips turning white as they pressed together. I threw my sock across the room, dropping my foot to the hammer. I moved across it, moving it until I could wrap my toes around it. I lifted it with my leg, using my free hand to grab the hammer. I hopped it into my hand, rolling onto my side as I took the hammer to the nail, hooking it with the back side of the hammer. I angled the hammer, pressing it into the side of my hand as I ripped the nail from my hand, sighing as the pain in my hand released slightly, almost as if the nail were holding it under my skin, allowing the pressure to build. _

_I dropped the hammer, slowly raising from my position. I slid off the table, slipping on my shoe while holding my hand to my jacket, wrapping the lapel around it to place some pressure over the wound. I softly padded across the kitchen, moving to the adjacent hall. I gave the now sleeping man a glare filled with hatred as I walked by the doorway to the living room, passing on every single bit of hatred I had, and that was a lot. I moved to the back of the house, feeling as though I were searching for something, but I could not imagine what. My body led me into the bathroom at the end of the hallway, and I glanced around in confusion. My eyes landed on the toilet, and I went over to it, slowly lifting the top off the back of it, looking down into it. A ziplock bag was lapped over the edge, and I grabbed it, looking through the clear side to see a ring within it. I put the ceramic back in place and ripped the bag open, pulling the ring out. _

_The ring was gorgeous silver, a single diamond in the center with sapphires sitting on either side. The sapphires wrapped around the silver as a vine-like string of silver circled the ring. Without thinking, I slipped it onto the ring finger of my right hand, ignoring the pain as well as the blood that was sure to be clustered beneath it. Carefully holding my hand to my chest, I dug around in the cabinet beneath the sink for something, coming across a first-aide kit. I popped the latch on it, and used the gauze and medical tape to wrap my hand, carefully washing the blood off with cold water as I dressed the wound. I turned after dropping the kit back in its place, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I stared at the mud covered face before me, the years of torture there gazing back at me with ferocity as the wolf within me shook violently with the anger building in my subconscious. Still, there was no transformation. It was just me, her, us. _

_My eyes grew red, and tears rolled down my cheeks as I began to gasp, turning away from my reflection. My mind kept screaming: ugly, ugly, ugly! And I believed it. In my own head, I was sane, hating the man and wishing to condemn him to all of hell's worst fire and brimstone. But, at the same time, I longed to hold the innocent girl in my arms and never let her go. In doing so, I needed to save her, take away all of her pain and tell her of her beauty. I needed her to see it! I wept as I slid to the floor, lost in the moment. As the tears slowly diminished, the minutes passing blindly as I rested there, my hand pulsing and burning with every second, a man appeared before me. It was me, the male me. _

_I looked into my true eyes carefully, the misty figure simply crouching before me, staring into my very soul. In that moment, I saw all the guarded disdain that I wore, the emotionless eyes that I carried. Meeting my own gaze, I felt such a horrible worthlessness that I had to look away. I saw the hatred I harbored for imprinting there. Was that what she saw in me? Was that how I showed myself? I lifted my uninjured hand to my head, running my fingers through her long black hair as I exhaled roughly. I had to change it, I had to change this! _

_I had to change us!_

My eyes popped open, and I found that the sheets of my bed were completely soaked with sweat. I was sweating? How strange. I uncurled my fingers from their death grip on my pillow and rubbed my face, seeming to try to wipe what I had seen, what I had gone through in my dream. I traced my eyes over my room. Nothing was out of place, nothing was different. I breathed in deeply, lifting up into I could lay my arms out across my bent knees. I ran a hand through my unruly hair, exhaling and shaking my head, squeezing my eyes for a short moment. I soon flung my legs over the side of the bed, sitting properly as my skin immediately dried from the wet environment it had been in for the night.

Standing, I reached over to my dresser, grabbing the jean shorts folded there. I switched them from my sweatpants, pulling on a jacket vest with the sleeves cut off. Moving to the window, I pulled the curtains aside, looking out. Fog dominated the area, a few rays of the newly rising sun sprinkling out through the ghostly treeline along my backyard. I dropped the fabric over the scene, turning and escaping out of my room into the hall. I creeped through the house, disappearing through the front door. I was not sure where I was headed, but as I turned to the left, I figured out that my body was taking me towards the ocean. I walked down the road in my time, reaching the line of sand that dipped down to the ocean within fifteen minutes.

I made my way across the sand, standing at the shoreline as the water rippled over the sand, ghosting along the miniscule particles in silence. I turned then, walking down the beach. As I neared the rock I had sat on yesterday, I heard subtle music notes echo over to me, and I looked over at the boulder, surprised to see the girl herself laying on top of it, headphones in her ears. She wore the same jeans, much too long for her slim and petite body, a dark blue t-shirt covering her torso. Her hair waved over her shoulders and chest in thick, incredibly tight braids, one on either side. The braids ended just below her breasts, and I could not help but ogle over them for a second. Moving up to her face, she looked just as beautiful as she had yesterday. Now, her face was clean, but her closed eyes were covered with dark blue eyeshadow, the color contrasting beautifully with her light tan skin.

I looked her over once more, my eyes tracing down to her right hand. My eyes widened as it came into view, resting on her abdomen and covering her other hand. There, on her finger, was the ring from my dream. My eyes moved to her palm, and I found a scar there, one that fit perfectly with where the nail was in my hand in the dream. Immediately, I saw red. The anger coursed through me like venom, poisoning every single cell of blood that flowed through my veins. I shook in a quicker manner than I ever had before, but as I looked at her face, I began to calm, knowing that I could not, would not, lose control around her. That was not an option.

Wanting to find a distraction, I slowly reached up, trying not to frighten her, and tapped her arm. Her eyes fluttered open, glancing around until they landed on me. Her eyes bore into mine with a beautiful glaze of light as her cheeks lifted with a smile. I matched the look, gazing at her as she removed her head phones, the melodic notes dispersing and allowing us to be cradled in silence. She lifted up, sitting and scooting over, patting the piece of rubble beside her. Smiling to myself, I gripped the edge, hauling myself up until I was standing beside her. She looked up at me with gorgeously deep blue eyes, her perfect, now scarred lips practically calling for my attention, but I fought the urge, sitting down beside her.

"You're out early this morning," she commented politely, rolling her headphones distractedly, pushing them into her jean pocket.

I watched with avid interest, probably appearing much too intune with her every movement in the moment. "I could say the same about you," I remarked, winking jokingly.

She giggled, covering her mouth with her scarred hand. Without thinking, my hand raised to her wrist, my fingers curling around it, cradling the satin skin as I pulled her hand away from her mouth. Her adorable giggled faded but a small smile remained, her eyes gazing into mine, love flashing through them. I chanced a glance down at her mouth, but I chose not to act on it. I was already pushing my luck with this movement.

"Please, don't soften the sound of your laughter," I breathed. "It's adorable."

She smiled blissfully, nodding in reply. I kept hold of her hand as she spoke, "Why are you out this early?" she wondered.

My smile dropped, and I looked out over the ocean briefly, shrugging. "Bad dream," I stated shortly, every image slithering back to me like a snake rearing its ugly head. I blinked, shaking my head imperceptible. I could kill the fool for what he had done. Then, I wondered, where had it come from? "You?" I questioned, taking my mind off the repeating imagery fluttering around in my head like a startled bat.

"Same reason," she murmured bluntly, looking down at the free hand in her lap, glancing at the scarred hand that I still held. We sat in silence for a few moments, her head down turned with my eyes tracing her features, taking in every detail with perfect clarity, committing it all to memory. In doing so, I found myself leaning closer to her, invading her space. She tilted her head back, my eyes inadvertently taking a peek at the silky skin of her neck as my lips practically watered with the thought of running them across the skin there. I was well aware of how close we were, and I could not find a single thing about her character that declined my presence, wanted me to move away. If anything, I felt as though she had moved closer in response, her breath hitting my face now, fanning over my slightly parted lips. I could taste her on my tongue, and it was amazing.

"What was your dream about?" I asked quietly, enjoying the bubble that seemed to surround us, enveloping us in its warmth.

Her eyes fluttered away for a second, appearing as though she were deciding whether or not to tell me the truth. Eventually, she sighed, her shoulders dropping in defeat, her eyes meeting mine again. "My father," she whispered. "It was about something that had happened a couple of years after my mother passed away." She turned our hands, bringing hers to my attention, raising it up to fill the air between us. "He gave me this," she stated, her head tilting down in disgrace.

I exhaled through my nose, my anger simmering quietly in the back of my mind, the wolf within me growling victoriously as he thought he would make an escape. Forcing him back into his cage, I asked, "What did he do?" This was a test. One, to see if my dream was correct, and two, if she would even tell me the truth.

She breathed in, dropping her head until her chin rested on her chest. "He nailed me to the kitchen table," she whispered in her sultry voice.

Lifting my free hand, I placed my fingers under her chin, lifting her face to mine. I softly pressed my lips to hers, not thinking at all about my actions. I began to worry as she froze beneath my touch, but she soon began responding, our lips moving together in perfect motion. I could not help the thought of this being too soon pass through my mind, but I did not seem to care. We pulled away after the air in our legs disappeared, the both of us breathing heavily, soon recovering, but the passion was still there between us.

"I will always protect you," I promised, my lips brushing hers as I spoke. She smiled against me, her forehead resting against mine as my arm wrapped around her, my hand softly rubbing her side. My other hand still held hers, our hands linked together on my chest, right over my heart. Her other hand was laying on the back of my neck, her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of my neck. As we sat there, I remembered that I did not even know her name. This brought on a smile, and I swallowed back the impending laughter that wanted to ensue. I did not want her to think I was laughing at her or about our kiss. "By the way, what's your name?"

She smirked, rubbing her hand over my cheek. "Aya."

I exhaled, lifting my hand to cradle her cheek. She leaned into my hand, rubbing against it. "Aya," I sighed, loving the sound as it rolled off my tongue like melted chocolate. Her eyes darkened at the sound, and I smiled, winking at her before growing serious. "It's beautiful, just like you."

She smiled, leaning down and scooting closer so she was cradled against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her close, trapped in the cell of my arms. It was in that moment, holding her as the ocean roared, her heartbeat in my ears, that I decided that maybe imprinting was not so bad. I could save her, and I would do so, gladly. But, I could also love her for as long as we lived, as she would me. She needed saving from her father, and I needed saving from myself.

Maybe, just maybe...we were absolutely perfect for one another.

I glanced down at her peaceful face, her eyes closed as she rested against me.

Yes, definitely a work of art, a piece of utter perfection.

* * *

**And there ya go! We have a name and a kiss. This may seem early, but let's face it people, imprinting is a strange thing. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!**

**You see that box and button down there?! Yeah, well type me up a review, they make me happy! Tell me what you think, I'd love to hear!**

**Until next time...**

**~Much Love, Zoe**


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